Agents After Cherub
by SpringBabe
Summary: better summary in first chap of story  James Adams or now known as Robert Choke has been an ex Cherub for 7 years. Leaving Cherub at the age of 17 he is now an adult of 24. Brings back Kerry, Lauren, James and their friends from Cherub times. ON HOLD!
1. Back

Chapter 1: Back

24 year old Robert James Choke, also known as James Robert Adams stepped out of the taxi and onto the slightly bumpy road. Cherub was a secret organisation and the location needed to stay secret so Robert wasn't surprised when he saw the look of the taxi driver once they had stopped and Robert payed for his fare at the signs warning people to turn around or face arrest.

AS the taxi driver turned around and sped off in the opposite direction Robert walked up the road a bit further where Zara Asker was waiting in a golf buggy.

"It's good to have you back James." Zara said greeting him with his old Cherub name.

"It's good to be back. It's hard to believe that I've been away for 4 years." James said, going back to his made up name from when he was a Cherub agent.

James threw his luggage into the back of the buggy and climbed into the passenger seat next to Zara.

"You've kept in shape, I see." Zara commented as she slowly turned the buggy around and headed towards the campus and out of the bushes into some light.

"Well there was always the chance that I was going to come back here and I didn't want to be out of shape." James replied.

"How is Kerry going?" Zara asked as she sped up slightly passing the familiar training ground where James spent the worst 96 days of his life and the last 4 days of his training in Malaysia.

James could see 10 muddy kids wearing the light blue cherub t-shirt doing push ups. At least they were training in the middle of spring while James could remember spending Christmas Day huddling up to Kerry as the spent the night in the freezing cold. "Kerry's good, waiting to finish the last week of her job, and hand the keys over before she'll be here."

Zara loved catching up with old Cherub agents from the past and remembered being the mission controller for two of James' missions before she was promoted to the Chairwoman of Cherub. There was days when she wished she could be on missions again but having so many agents in her office again and again was an advantage not to mention that she had all the power over every one on campus.

"How's Lauren, I heard she just got out of college and wants to be a kindergarten teacher?" Zara asked.

"Yeah that's what I've heard; I haven't seen her for about a year since we were on opposite sides of the world and were so busy that we couldn't get time off. Now that I'm here I should be able to see her more, I did see Amy last year when she was holidaying in California with her boyfriend but that's all I've seen out of all the Cherub agents I knew besides Kerry."

"It must be different coming from California where it is always sunny to England where it is usually raining or cold." Zara laughed as she pulled up to the door of the main building.

"Yeah but this is where I grew up and I'll get used to it after awhile. How are your kids going?"

"Joshua has completed basic training and has gone on two missions; he also has your old room. He was pleased with that because you're still his hero. Tiffany is currently in basic training right now and Jonah is amongst the redshirts. You have to say hello to Joshua once he finishes classes. He'll be surprised because I didn't tell him you were coming. Also two agents that you were friends with are working here not including Kerry once she gets here. Leave your stuff in my office since I'm sure that you want to catch up with a lot of people and then at the end of the day I'll get someone to take you to your new house." Zara said as they both stepped into her office.

Zara went behind her desk and pulled out a white t-shirt with the Cherub logo on it, chucked it to James who put it on quickly than went to see him out of her office.

"By the way I think Meryl wanted to see you." Zara said as James left and closed the door behind him.

James walked past a stretch of offices until he got to Meryl's. He knocked a couple of times.

"Enter." Meryl said as James opened the door.

"Welcome back James." Meryl greeted getting up from her desk and went to give James a hug.

"I'm disappointed that I can't give you punishment laps every time you step into this office anymore." Meryl joked as she led James to the couch. "I just wanted to talk before you go off to the dojo."

"Why would the dojo be the first place I go since I'm sure everyone knows how bad I was at self-defence?" James asked suspiciously.

"Someone you know is there, but before you go and catch up with them I want to catch up with you. The last I heard was when you finished college and started assisting at the college while you waited for Kerry to finish so you have a lot to tell me." Meryl said.

"Where do I begin, after Kerry finished I got a job as a part time lifeguard and a maths tutor, while Kerry got a job in advertising then Zara asked if I would like to teach maths here and then Kerry asked if she could be an assistant mission controller, so she'll be working for Maureen when she gets here. Now I'm here." James said.

"James Adams, it's been four years and all you can tell me is that you were a local lifeguard and maths tutor while Kerry was in advertising before you got asked to come work here." Meryl said with a laugh.

"Yep," James replied cheekily.

"I'll have to get more out of Kerry than when she comes in two weeks time. Now get out of here and go to the dojo." Meryl said but didn't start laughing until James had left and shut the door. James and his sister were in the category of most remembered agents and she couldn't tell anyone but at the time James was here favourite since she seemed to tell him off regularly.

James left Meryl's office than the main building heading towards the dojo. He could have told Meryl more but he wanted to wait till Kerry got back before telling anyone their news. He was about to enter the dojo but as he opened the doors that led to the main room he could only think of one person who would be teaching martial arts and that was Bruce Norris.

Bruce hadn't seen or heard James enter the room but his class saw James creep behind Bruce and were trying their best to hide the giggles and smirks. They wanted to see the martial arts instructor get surprised by someone.

Bruce could see the smirks on some of the girl's faces and then there was one boy sitting at the back of the group who was failing to stop laughing. Bruce instantly turned around and grabbed James around the waist and threw James into the crash mat he was standing on.

"Too slow Mr Adams." Bruce said with a grin and hugged his mate.

"Wow I forgot how fast everyone was around here and you wouldn't have known I was there if your class didn't give me away." James replied sourly but gave his best friend a manly hug. It was a long shot that he could surprise Bruce and it was impossible to beat him in any martial arts even if he didn't have a class trying to stop giggling.

"Class this is James Adams, a former agent and a good mate from when I was here, James this is some of Cherubs youngest red shirts." Bruce said getting over the introductions.

The class was dismissed shortly after and the classes for the day had ended so Bruce and James got the opportunity to catch up on lots of this.

"Wow this has to be the longest relationship you have ever had with Kerry, or with any girl." Bruce stated once he heard that James was still dating his ex, Kerry Chang.

"Well it was my last chance with here and once I realised that she was the girl I loved I didn't want to screw it up, you'll see her in two weeks as well so you'll hear a lot more from her." James told him. "Who else is here from back in our days, Zara told me two of my friends were here but wouldn't tell me who."

"He wasn't one of your closer friends, more Laurens but Andy Lagan is working in the junior block." Bruce answered for him.

"Oh, I see what you mean as not one of my closer friends, I mean we did talk once I got friendly with Rat and that but I think he can't get over the time that I punched him." James said weakly. "I'll go and see him once I see Joshua then."

"Joshua Asker, do you mean?" I'll come with you since he still needs to catch up on some of my lessons and then once you see Andy I'll show you your new house."

"Sounds good." James replied and they both headed up to James' old room on the sixth floor.

**Authors Note**

**So that's the first chapter and its short compared to all the other stuff that write but this chapter is mainly a summary. For any of you that haven't figured it out Robert James Adams is James Adams. If you read all the cherub books you would understand the two different names. From now I am referring to James Adams instead of Robert Choke because he is back on Cherub campus. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter and Kerry will be in second chapter with some good news.  
>SpringBabe. <strong>


	2. Surprises

Chapter 2: Surprises

It was 11 O'clock at night and James Adams was in his living room watching MTV on the flat screen T.V that Cherub had provided in his new house. He wasn't watching the show but waiting for the knock on the door or a car door slam. Kerry Chang, his fiancé was supposed to have arrived 10 hours ago but when she ran from California to say that her plane had been delayed and that she wouldn't be arriving till after 10 and for him to stay at home instead of picking her up. James was suppose to be working the next day but since he hadn't seen Kerry for two weeks Zara had sympathy for him allowing him to start a day later which happened to be two days later since no one had classes on Sunday.

James had spent most of the day setting up his office on Cherub campus and talking to Bruce and Andy. He was waiting to see Chloe, one of his past mission controllers but she was currently away on a mission with Dante's sister Holly. James had heard rumours from the staff like Mr Pike and Ewart that when they came back in two days time Holly was going to get her navy shirt. When they were working he spent the time wandering around the campus reminiscing all the good times he had while he was an agent. He passed the training compound which was deserted since they were all in South America about to start the last gruesome days of their 100 day training. Since no one was in the training compound James was allowed to go in and look around. He could remember the bunk that he slept in, the times that he and Connor spent outside the building getting hosed down by Mr Large for mucking around in their Russian lessons. He remembered Kerry flattening him every time they worked on martial arts, the time that he stepped on Kerry's hand which after spending time with the nurse and drinking hot chocolate they spent Christmas night in the freezing cold without any clothes.

Andy at first was unsure of what to make of James being back on campus. He wasn't with his friends (besides Bruce), and Andy wasn't with his so there was a lot of time when they were alone together. Andy knew that it was never going to happen but he feared that James would punch him again if he said anything insulting. James could see Andy flinch every time he lifted his left arm up, it was funny at first but after awhile James got tired of teasing the younger man and both of them finally started to feel less awkward around each other.

The sound of tyres screeching outside his house brought James away from his thoughts and back into reality as he saw the bright yellow taxi outside his house when he looked out the window.

Kerry was back.

James opened the door and started to walk down the front steps leading up to the house so he could help Kerry with her bags but the taxi driver bet him to it. Kerry paid for her fare and turned around to see the house since she never got a proper look in the taxi or when got out of the car. She couldn't see much past her fiancé's head as he spun her around and kissed her. Neither one cared that the taxi driver saw them together before he drove off. It had been two weeks and two weeks to long that they had seen each other. No one else was out and about so after James helped Kerry carry all her luggage up to the house the stopped for another snog in the doorway.

"So what's been happening while I'm away?" Kerry asked stepping into the house and looking around at the furnished house that Cherub provided. "Cheat on me with any slutty blondes while I was away." 

James couldn't believe that Kerry was still sore about the one time in his last year at college where he was dared by his mates to kiss and place his hand up a fit blonde girl called Felicity Jones' shirt. At the time Kerry walked into his room telling him that she was ready. James who was bright red with embarrassment and realising he did nothing wrong ran after Kerry who had already locked herself into her room in the other wing. James could hear her crying from the other side of the door with her roommate Kate consoling her.

Picking locks wasn't hard for James since he was an ex Cherub agent but Kerry was ready for him and threw a pillow that she hid a photo album containing evidence from Cherub at him. It took James, his friends and Felicity a month to convince her that it was a dare and that nothing happened.

James thought that Kerry got over it because they started dating again straight away and she kept apologising every time they went out. He also thought she was over the incident when she agreed to marry him.

He could remember when he proposed to her. Kerry and James had been together for years without an incident since the incident at college. They were both living together and shared their money with each other since they earned almost the same amount. (Kerry a little more). Kerry was at work and James had the day off so he used the time to make their relationship official by tying the knot. James was sure that Kerry was waiting for it since they had been together for 7 years with only one mistaken incident and it was clear that they both loved each other. James had gone shopping for the ring while Kerry was at work and came back to their apartment to find that Zara Asker had emailed him regarding a job position she was asking him to take as a Maths teacher at Cherub.

Kerry had come home early to find James sitting at the computer. She was so quiet that he didn't even hear her come in.

"You should take the job." James could remember her whispering in his ear startling him.

"But what about you, I can't just leave you here and move to back because love you too much." James had replied.

"I'll go with you because I love you too. And who knows maybe Zara could have a position for me, they always need more helping hands." Kerry replied softly.

James knew that that was the right moment as he looked into her eyes and saw her smiling face. Without knowing what he was doing he pulled out the little black box, opened it and blurted it all out. "Kerry, you are amazing. You always took me back after all those times I cheated on you. You never left my heart when I was away from you. I love you Kerry. Will you marry me?"

James saw the joy, happiness and love in her eyes behind the glistening tears as she said yes and he slid the ring on her finger.

"James. James. James!" Kerry said pulling him out of his memory. "I asked you what has been happening while I was away. You wouldn't give me any details over the phone."

"Sorry I was just thinking about the time you said yes." James told her. "And I'm not telling you anything now because it will just ruin the surprise. You deserve one since you want to surprise everyone else." James replied. "I also haven't been sleeping with any slutty girl because you're the only girl I want" He added when he realised she was joking.

"You're such a romantic." Kerry giggled.

James carried Kerry up the stairs to their bedroom; her luggage lay in the hallway forgotten since both had other plans.

"I can't believe that you've been back for two weeks and you haven't seen your sister yet." Kerry exclaimed.

There were in James' black Mercedes that he had gotten from Cherub as a staff car on the way to the apartment that Lauren shared with Rat and Bethany.

"Well I was on my way last week before I ran into Rat but at the last minute I changed my mind and went to the centre of London where I saw that awesome bike." James noted. "Rat told me she's been busy trying to find a job and he promised not to say anything until I saw her. Besides I thought you wanted to surprise every one with our engagement. This just adds onto the surprise."

Kerry just huffed as she beeped loudly because a car had just swerved in front and was driving slow. James couldn't help but laugh as he thought of Kerry as the good one but when she was in the car James normally drove because with Kerry's temper on the road she was likely to cause an accident.

"Just don't blame me when Lauren gets angry at you after she finds out you have been back for two weeks and didn't visit."

"When have I ever blamed you?" James asked but Kerry gave him a glare for an answer.

They pulled up in front of a big tall building containing a lot of apartments. The last time that James visited Lauren was in the third apartment of the fourth floor. Both had grown up at Cherub where they were supposed to always take the stairs so the journeyed up the stairs instead of taking the easy option. James and Kerry had argued most of the way there about who was going to ring the doorbell and how they were going to do it. In the end Kerry was ringing the doorbell and James was going to hide behind the opened door because they could remember it opening outwards.

"Kerry!" Lauren shrieked when she opened the door and found her brothers girlfriend standing on the other side of it. "It's been a long time since I've seen you and James as well. I guess that since you are here alone you've finally dumped him once more."

"Hey I can't believe that my sister thinks so little of me." James joked as he appeared from his hiding spot.

"Oh my gosh you're still together after 7 years. Come in both of you it's been so long. I want details." Lauren pestered.

Lauren led them both inside to the small but cosy living room where Bethany was sitting since Rat was at work. Rat was a beginner architect while Bethany was hoping to set up a kindergarten with Lauren and was currently doing part time work at the local supermarket so she could help pay the rent.

"Hi, Kerry. Hi James." Bethany said from the couch she was lounging on. She said James' name with venom and it was clear that she still didn't like James after so many years.

Unlike his sister who finished Cherub and stayed in shape afterwards, Bethany who was expelled and thought that Cherub was a waste of her life had let herself go and was now overweight instead of chunky like the last time James saw her four years ago when Lauren graduated. James who didn't like Bethany any more than she liked him was willing to make an effort for the sake of his sister but he hated being in the same room with her. Bethany always seemed to damper his moods.

"So how are you sis, Zara told me that you turned down a job in the junior block at Cherub when she heard that you wanted to be a kindergarten teacher."

Lauren looked towards Bethany who shrugged as if to say it wasn't my fault. "Well being a kindergarten teacher is like a handler in the junior block and we thought it would be cool to start our own kindergarten together."

James looked suspiciously at Bethany but since he wanted to be good for Lauren he let it slide and turned back to Lauren.

"When did you speak to Zara?" Lauren asked, raising her right eyebrow.

James knew that there was no denying where he had been for the last two weeks. "When I came back for the job as a Maths teacher that Zara offered me. I've also spoken to her a few more times since then. I was supposed to start today but since Kerry's plane was delayed another 10 hours than it was suppose to Zara gave me an extra day to spend with..." He looked at Kerry who nodded and raised her hand to show the sparkling diamond ring as James finished the sentence. "My new fiancée." '

Lauren screamed in delight and Bethany sat up straight to inspect the ring.

"You mean that after James has treated you like scum, after you have taken him back after dumping him more than once you have now agreed to marry him." Bethany said with disgust.

Bethany normally liked Kerry but hated James. Seeing Kerry with James and showing the ring that made it official made her sick. Bethany was Lauren's best friend but James was her brother and Lauren was always told it was family over friends when she was growing up. On Cherub campus it didn't matter too much because only half the agents had siblings while friends made up the family for others. Lauren considered Kerry as a good friend, maybe one of her top five and she didn't want to ruin it but she didn't want to ruin her friendship with Bethany or make a choice.

Bethany made a choice for her. "I'm going out; I'll be back later tonight." She grabbed her bag and stormed out the door.

Lauren looked upset. James and Bethany had never liked each other but now that James was back she felt like she had a choice to make. Kerry looked shocked; she had never seen Bethany so angry before. James didn't even look fazed by what Bethany had said since he was so used to it but he could tell that Lauren wanted to take the job that Zara had offered her six months ago.

"Lauren when are you going stop letting Bethany control your life?" James asked.

The tears were falling from Lauren's eyes. She was never a big crier but both James and Kerry knew that if they didn't change the conversation soon Lauren was going to burst into tears.

Kerry had left the room to find a box of tissues and returned from the bathroom where they were kept. After Lauren calmed down a bit and the sobbing both Kerry and James were smart enough to stay away from the topic of Bethany. It was getting close to lunch time and after seeing what was in the fridge James suggested that they went out for lunch. Lauren grabbed her purse, sent a quick message to Rat and locked up.

Rat having received a message from Lauren when they got to a nearby restaurant came just after they were seated. Rat congratulated Kerry and James on their engagement but also seemed distant during the whole lunch when Lauren told Rat why Bethany wouldn't be back until late. James and Rat got talking about Football while the girls discussed wedding details such as place and dress. Rat caught James up on everything that was happening in the league since he couldn't follow it while he was in America. James was impressed to hear that Arsenal had just won the grand final of the previous season.

Straight after lunch Rat went straight back to work indicating that James and Kerry were suppose to take Lauren back to her apartment before heading into London to look at the bike James wanted to get. He had been putting off getting one in America because he claimed that he was too busy to ride it but it wasn't the reason. The real reason was that he always wanted to come back to England and Cherub gave him the reason.

They dropped Lauren off and went into London to see the bike which Kerry accepted and allowed James to buy with the money that was left by his mum. It was almost twilight so the couple decided to do the London Eye before heading back home.

Now that James and Kerry had told Lauren their news they felt that they could tell everyone else. James sent Kyle an email promising him an invite when they sorted it out while Kerry did the same with Gabrielle and Amy. Meryl had pulled Kerry aside and into her office where she got more information than James gave her. Zara congratulated them both along with the rest of the staff in the staff room.

"Where is the wedding going to be held?" Zara asked. She could remember James shouting to Kerry 7 years ago asking if they were going to get married on campus.

"We were thinking of getting married on campus but then my dad and family wouldn't be able to come so somewhere near here I think." James replied and Kerry came back into the staff room.

They went to see Bruce who was staying home since it was a Sunday via the junior block to visit Andy and tell him the news. Andy was surprised that Kerry stayed with James for 7 years and said yes to him. He was even more surprised that James never cheated on Kerry while they were in America.

Bruce was just as surprised as Andy that James never cheated on Kerry. He wasn't surprised to hear that they were still together since he knew that Kerry had always loved James even when she was going out with him. Since they told him about their engagement he decided to tell them about his. Apparently while he was touring with Connor and Callum he met up with Eva Flent who did basic training with him and Kerry (her first attempt). She was quiet and once Bruce started hanging around James and his friends Eva stopped talking to him. Bruce apologised a lot before he went out with her. He was glad he found her because she ended up being the girl he loved.

Instead of going back to Cherub they decided to go up the road back to their house and spend some time together.

"You never told me that Bruce was at Cherub." Kerry said.

"It's called a surprise. You wanted to surprise everyone with our engagement so we wanted to surprise you with who was a Cherub."

"I never picked Andy as a handler for the junior block though." Kerry said surprised.

"Yeah well I didn't really talk to him much so I had no idea what he wanted to do. Apparently he went back after two years of Uni instead of finishing his course." James told her.

James went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of champagne and two glasses to bring back into the living room.

"I was meaning to ask you last night before we got distracted. Do you know why Rat was distant when Lauren brought up the Bethany drama?"

"I think I know so of the details but I'm not exactly sure. It has to do with a lot of stuff that happened between Bethany and her boyfriends." James answered as he poured them both glasses.

Kerry looked at him with an expression that said tell me what you know or else.

James sighed. "From what I heard she was like how I used to be except she was worse and managed to keep it a secret from everyone. I don't think Lauren knows." Kerry looked shocked she thought that Bethany and Lauren told each other everything at least she and Gabrielle did and they were best friends. "Jake told me that she had her first boyfriend when she was nine. Just before Lauren arrived he dumped her because she wanted to be with him 24/7. She was so angry at him that she made up rumours about him like how he was dared to go out with her so all the girls and some guys that Bethany was friendly with looked at him with disgust. Then Lauren came and became friends with her so she didn't feel like she needed a boyfriend. But she did basic training with him and made his life a misery."

"What was his name? Because I doubt that Jake is telling the truth. Jake hates Bethany more than you hate Bethany." Kerry said she didn't think that Bethany could be this mean.

"Peter Daniels." James told her.

Kerry gasped and something on her face told James that she could see some truth.

"Anyway Peter and Bethany had a massive fight one night when they were all supposed to be in bed. Bethany twisted his arm so hard that she broke it and Peter kicked her in the back injuring her but not badly enough for her to restart basic training. The instructors came in and were told that they had a fight but they weren't told over what because Bethany covered it up and told everyone that he was lying about her. Peter was told that he would have to do basic training again but a few days after Bethany and Lauren pulled out and were meant to start it again with him. Peter couldn't face Bethany again so he quit."

Kerry looked disgusted. "Are you sure that this is all true?" She had heard of Peter getting injured and quitting just before the next basic training started but she thought he was just scared of Mr Large like most kids were.

"I think so; Dante knew most of the stuff since he was friends with Peter who told him about Bethany-."

"But Dante was always around Lauren and Bethany." Kerry interrupted.

"Yes but before Peter left he asked him to spy on Bethany for him and make sure that she didn't do it again with anyone else. Then once she finished basic training she went out with two guys at once. Lauren doesn't know about this because she was on her first mission with me. They both found out but the day after that they were found with broken wrists."

"Where does this fit in with Rat?" Kerry asked.

"Well while Lauren, Dante and I were on our Brigands mission, Rat and Lauren weren't together so Bethany took the opportunity and almost slept with him, but Rat stopped her because the both weren't old enough and he was Andy's best friend who was currently Bethany's boyfriend."

"Why did Rat tell you?" Kerry asked wanting all the details.

"He told Andy and me when he came last week. I think he was scared that I would beat him up because Lauren was my sister but before I could get angry he told me that this was when Lauren and he broke up. I left it to Andy to get angry but he seemed pleased that Rat had stopped it. Anyway Bethany has been cheating on so many guys and injuring them. She also blackmailed Rat so he wouldn't tell." James finished both his story and his drink.

"We have to see Dante and Rat to make sure this is true then tell Lauren." Kerry stated.

"We can't Bethany hardly ever goes anywhere without her." James exclaimed.

"James you know that Lauren wanted to take the job at Cherub, what if Bethany is blackmailing Lauren into doing stuff with her? What if she is hurting her?" Kerry stammered.

Realisation hit James, he had no idea what Bethany was doing, to Lauren or Rat as well. "If this is right we might be able to talk to Lauren but only if this is right and we know that Bethany is threatening her as well."

**Author's Note.**

**That's the end of that chapter. I hope you like it. Sorry to any Bethany fans but she won't be a main character and unfortunately she isn't going to get any better. That is probably going to be the most there is about Bethany because I wanted to add onto her character. I don't know how soon the next chapter will be up but please review and tell me what you think.  
>Spring Babe. <strong>


	3. Busy

**Sorry it's taken awhile to update.**

Chapter 3: Busy.

James had been working at cherub as one of the maths teachers for two weeks when he realised how much of hard work it was to teach the older agents. There was always someone missing, someone not paying attention, no done homework and the occasional swearing when someone gets told off. When James finished basic training he had to teach the red shirts maths but now he was teaching the grey shirts and over maths. The agents had it in mind to try and get rid of him quickly since none of them knew who he was and those that did didn't appreciate anything from him.

While James was trying to sort out how to improve his job Kerry was rearranging their home which just made it harder for him to find stuff. Kerry didn't have to start work until after she returned from the Summer Hostel so she was making the most of her spare time. Kerry had already seen a couple of her old friends including Gabrielle who was going to be the maid of honour at the wedding. Gabrielle had just gotten out of medical school and was looking for a job as a doctor. Zara wasn't going to tell them but she was planning to get Gabrielle to work on Cherub as their doctor since it was easier to employ old agents instead of completely new people to Cherub so they didn't have to go over the security risks with every visitor.

James was starting to get annoyed with the kids he was teaching since they all thought it was funny to muck up in his class. The only ones that were willing or showing that they were slightly interested were Joshua and Tiffany Asker and Holly Welsh who was only paying attention because her brother was planning to threaten her if he heard about her miss behaving with James and Kerry. He was never good at punishing kids and all his threats were empty and the class saw right through him. Kerry was better at controlling kids and James could see Kerry bossing their children around in the future.

James saw Kerry off to the hostel on the Saturday and tried to hide his jealously when she stepped onto the plane. It wasn't her fault that he was missing another two weeks without her but this time she was going to be lying around on the beach in a bikini and getting a tan James was punishing the students that were smoking in class. Of course they were smoking in his class because they thought they could get away with it but Zara happened to walk into the class while the cigarettes were in their mouths. There were other agents that were punished from the hostel staying at campus along with the new recruits who had just gotten back from Brazil all sporting grey T shirts and people like Holly who had been away on a mission for a long time.

James felt more alone the whole two weeks that Kerry was away because Bruce and Andy were also away too and he couldn't even get help from Meryl who was also getting a long deserved rest at the hostel. Rat and Lauren were too busy whenever he called to make plans. James couldn't help but wonder if Bethany was abusing them and was worried when he didn't hear from them.

He saw Rat when he came to work on rebuilding the gym since so many kids always left it in a mess and one little red shirt was driving a golf buggy and crashed into the building. Leaving a hole in the wall and a major pile of rubble. Rat looked fine and managed to talk to James on his break but when the personal questions like how are you and Lauren doing he was gone leaving James alone. Chloe had seen James mopping around and took him out for lunch with her husband when they weren't busy.

Lauren and James accidently bumped into each other one afternoon in the heart of London. Lauren had dyed her hair black so James almost didn't recognise her. She hadn't dyed her hair since she was eleven and the dark rings under her eyes from a lack of sleep didn't help her appearance.

"Oh it's nothing just trying to get this kindergarten job and it's hard to get to sleep when Bethany brings a new play toy home every night." Lauren told him faking cheeriness.

James knew that she was lying but also knew to let her sort out her own problems. "Well you know Zara will always take your offer for the carer job if you still want it." James told her.

"I'll consider it if this Kindergarten job falls through but this has been a dream of Bethany's and mine since we started college."

"Are you sure it's not just Bethany's dream?" James asked.

Lauren didn't say much after that but left James to get back to campus trying to figure out ways to make his classes respect him.

"Zara!" James shouted down the hallway on a Friday evening.

Zara turned around to face James. James saw dark rings under her eyes and it looked like she hadn't slept for days only surviving on coffee. She was stressed and James almost forgot about one of the agents missing. 15 year old Serra Dellingan a recent black shirt had been kidnapped while on a mission. Mission controller John Jones and 17 year old black shirt Rick Pissani were on the mission with her when she went missing one night and didn't return the next morning. She was stressed and James could remember her looking the exact same when Gabrielle was in intensive care. He couldn't help wondering if she looked like that when James went missing in Russia on his Dennis Oblin mission but had to remind himself that he was barely missing for a night.

"Sorry I know you're stressed so maybe I could talk to you at a better time." James suggested.

"Until this is figured out there isn't going to be a better time so you might be the best distraction." Zara told him.

"Right well it's about my classes and how they aren't acting like students but like they run the world. The only ones I don't have a problem with are your children and Holly Welsh." Zara looked at him and waited for him to continue. "Well I was wondering if you'd be able to listen to the ideas I have to get them to respect me."

"I think I have the perfect plan to get them to respect you. John and Rick are coming back to campus tomorrow and news about Serra will be out in the open so I think you might like a change of scenery."

James smiled thinking he would be going to the hostel but got rid of it quickly when he realised that John Jones coming back wouldn't get him on the hostel.

"It will be dangerous because we don't have any leads but I think you are the only one who can pull it off. I want you to get Serra back."

James' mouth hung wide open. If anyone walked past they would be able to get a football in his mouth without touching a tooth.

"I know it's a lot to take in but you may be her only hope." Zara said.

James knew that he had to agree and there was no way he wouldn't he could let Serra die he had to try and save her but he wasn't the only one who had a hard time trying to sleep. He gave up on sleep and went downstairs to watch T.V trying to take his mind of the next day's event. Kerry was playing poker with Meryl, Bruce, Andy and some of the other staff at the hostel wishing that James was with her because it would have made the whole holiday fun. Then there was Lauren who was contemplating her job decisions and talking it over with Rat while Bethany was out. Bethany was out getting drunk and sleeping around without a care in the world not knowing what was happening around her. Zara was staring into space not realizing that husband Ewart was talking to her. Rick Pisani was staring out the car window as if he would see Serra on the side of the road. His mission controller John Jones had stopped at a red light and his head was in his hands on the steering wheel wondering where he went wrong.

Everyone was wondering but nobody knew where she was. Nobody knew that she was chained to a metal chair in the middle of a dark empty room. Nobody could hear her screams and beg for mercy. She was all alone and without a hope that someone would find her. She didn't need a mirror to know that she had two ferocious black eyes after being punched more than once, or to see that her nose was badly broken, or to see the blood covering her face from her nose and burst lip that was swollen to twice its normal size. She didn't need light to know that she was covered in bruises so bad that they were the size of eggs. She didn't need a doctor to know that her bones were broken because her body was in agony. Serra was going through all the pain but Cherub was her home and home to many others that she wasn't going to let them down. She was going to die trying if she had too. The idea that a recently qualified black shirt would cave under pressure so quickly was the most embarrassing thought that entered her mind. She couldn't last much longer, she was freezing cold and kept captive someone underground a boxing ring so her screams wouldn't be heard. She couldn't get out of this by herself; she needed a hero and a warm blanket. She had stayed awake for two days and she couldn't last any longer. Her head was hurting so much that it felt heavy and was getting heavier. She gave into the pain closed her eyes and fell asleep. Her body lay limply in the chains.

James didn't get any sleep. He had all of the night preparing himself for anything he was going to face later on in the day. Even when he tried to sleep he couldn't stop worrying about Serra and hoped that she was still alive. Pictures of her cold body lying on the side of the road entered his mind. It took all his strength to think of Kerry.

He arrived on Cherub campus just after 6 and wasn't surprised to see asleep in her office. He was going to talk to her but felt that she needed her sleep so he went straight to the kitchen for a good breakfast. He couldn't stomach anything but tried to swallow a bowl of cereal and a slice of toast. James went straight for the coffee and downed two stopping himself for a third when John Jones walked in.

He looked stressed, worried and tired from the lack of sleep everyone seemed to have.

"I didn't think you were getting back until 8." James said walking over to him.

"Well we couldn't stay any longer. We had men banging on our door so we had to make a quick getaway. If they weren't following us we would have been back last night." John replied.

"How's Rick doing?" James asked trying to distract John a little bit.

"He went straight up to his room without a word. None of his friends knew he was coming back so I wouldn't put it past him to stay there until you get her back." John told him with a yawn. "Meet me in my office at 10 for a briefing than you can get going."

"Will do; get some rest before I see you." James replied.

"You too."

James decided to go back home not bothering to tell anyone he wasn't going to be teaching them. Zara knew he was going on the mission and half the staff was at the hostel. James sent an email to Lauren and Kerry letting them know what was happening but the email he got back from Lauren surprised him. He thought he imagined it so he went to bed for a few hours sleep then checked his emails again when he woke up.

'_James, hope you don't make it back from the mission, don't stay safe. Lauren.'_

James was confused it didn't make sense. Lauren would never say something like that. He had no idea what he did to make her feel this way but he didn't have time to worry about it. He had less than 10 minutes to be in John's office. He quickly read Kerry's email which was a lot more comforting before grabbing his keys and headed to campus.

James sprinted up to John's office with 1 minute to spare. He was surprised to see Jake McEwen sitting in one of the chairs waiting for John to enter.

John entered and got straight into business. By the end of it James brain was in overdrive. From what John and Zara could gather was that there was three prime suspects to choose from. James was targeting one called Denton and was passing as someone from South Tetem Cleaning service while McEwen was targeting Dr Rich. They only had the rest of the day to find her and James was relieved to find that he was going undercover with two MI5 agents as well.

Zara and John wished them good luck as McEwen drove James to a warehouse where he was going to meet the two MI5 agents. McEwen dropped James off at the corner before speeding off to his targets place while James walked 100 metres to meet the agents from MI5.

"Hi I'm Felicity Miles and this is my college Gorge Kates." The women dressed in bright blue overalls said leaning against the van. "Get in quick we don't have much time."

James climbed into the back and pulled on a pair of overalls with orange boots. They sped down the highway towards Lestaway Street, managing to get there in less than an hour.

"We're 5 minutes early so I'll go up to the door while you two get the gear ready." Gorge said already strolling up to the door.

James and Felicity grabbed the cleaning gear that hid all the surveillance and listening bugs that could help them find Serra in such a short time. She had been missing for almost 4 days. James was hoping they would find her alive. James caught up to Felicity and Gorge at the open door and trudged into the humongous house.

"Okay I need you to do all the top floors and the ground floor. Don't worry about that door because it leads to the boxing ring." A man with a gruff voice said pointing to the metal door. A second glance and James realised that it was the suspect Denton.

The three agents got straight to work busying themselves to look like they were cleaning when really the duster was sticking listening devices in the corners. They were all in Denton's study and while Felicity and Gorge were keeping guard James pulled out his lock gun to open the desk draw.

"Bingo," James muttered loud enough for the other two to hear him.

There were floor plans that matched the house they were in with a room if you could call it that deep down under the boxing ring.

"Perfect place to trap a 15 year old girl." James told the others. "Underground below a boxing ring."

Gorge and Felicity looked at each other than back at James. "You've got to be joking how the hell are we suppose to get down there?"

"I need both of you to distract Denton and anyone else who goes down to the boxing ring. I'll sneak down hopefully find the way down to Serra and come back up alive." James said thinking of a plan.

It wasn't much of a plan the facial expressions from Felicity and Gorge told him that but they didn't have long enough to think up a brilliant plan without flaws.

"Look we don't have time; this is the best we've got." Before Gorge and Felicity could argue James was already running towards the door leading to the boxing ring.

To everyone's horror they saw Denton slip behind the door after carefully checking no one was watching him. James' heart missed a beat but it didn't look like Denton had seen him and he had no choice but to follow him down. Felicity and Gorge had never seen such an act of bravery and stupidity before.

"We need to work with Cherub more often." Gorge whispered in Felicity's ear.

"I know how do they make them so brave?" Felicity whispered back. Without speaking the both grabbed a mop and started mopping in front of the door.

James was trying hard to watch both were he was going and where Denton was going since he didn't want to let him know he was following him. He wasn't surprised when he saw that the stairs were steel but since Denton was going down as well it didn't matter that his footsteps weren't completely quiet. Soon the stairs ended and they both came to a narrow passage way leading to a metal door. Denton quickly opened the door and let some light, just enough light for James to see Serra's limp body chained to the metal chair.

I'm too late James instantly thought thinking that the girl was dead. Denton didn't seem to think but slapped her across the face. Serra's eyes snapped open and fear swept across her face.

"I want an answer this time. Who do you work for?" Denton growled right in Serra's face pulling out a knife and stabbing her in the cheek. He dragged it down slicing her skin and angling the knife in deeper. James couldn't handle Serra's screams she was getting tortured and he was standing behind the door out of sight like a coward.

"I don't work for anyone." Serra snapped back trying to sound brave.

James admired her bravery and was surprised that she could last four days constantly getting beaten up for not telling about Cherub. There weren't many agents that would do that.

"Well you're useless to me. You won't tell me who you work for and they won't come to rescue but then again who would rescue a pathetic little girl like you." Denton sneered. "I can't let you go since you'll just tell the first person you meet about me so I'll just have to dispose of you."

Serra wasn't going to tell him about Cherub and was willing to die for everyone else that lived there. She had lived a decent life she had been kissed at the beginning of the year and felt bad knowing that her friends and boyfriend would miss her but it was what she had to do. She was willing to die and knew she was going to die know but it still scared her. She didn't want to die badly beaten and bruised everywhere hell she didn't have to die at all. She hoped she would be remembered and that people would turn up to her funeral. Tears started to fall from her eyes before she knew it she was crying. She hadn't cried since her parents died and now she was going to see them again. She didn't cry once when three different guys were punching her but she was crying because there was a lot she was going to miss.

Denton noticed her tears and took the chance, James was ready he couldn't wait any longer, any longer and Serra would be dead. The whole rescue mission would have been a waste if James couldn't get there in time he moved out of the shadows and into the doorway. Denton may have heard but he didn't look around. Serra saw him but thought he was one of Denton's henchmen about to kill her.

Denton used the knife and cut her other cheek dragging the knife down to Serra's chin, towards her throat. Serra screamed. She could take the punches but the knife was different but she still wasn't going to give in no matter how much agony she was in.

James saw the tip of the knife move closer to her throat and acted without thinking. He ran up to Denton not caring how loud his footsteps were or how loud his heart was pounding. It was enough for Denton to turn around and lower his weapon. James quickly kicked him hard in the knee. While Denton was grabbing his knee in agony James kicked his other knee harder that his knee burst out to the side. Denton collapsed with pain. James walked over to Serra making sure that he was stepping on Denton. What Denton did to Serra reminded James of Lauren's sex trafficking mission. Thinking about Lauren brought the email she sent back into his mind, he couldn't think about that now. All his anger for Lauren and Bethany was released onto Denton. He felt sick that Denton was taking advantage of girls then had Serra locked up for four days. James grabbed the knife and stuck it in Denton's thigh, before unleashing all his anger onto Denton, punching and kicking him for a good 15 minutes before he remembered Serra. She was losing a lot of blood and didn't have much time.

It wasn't hard to get Serra out of the chains but she was in so much pain that it was hard to move her without doing more damage. Denton wasn't in any state to move so he had time to slowly carry her up the stairs carefully. When he carried her up to the house where the MI5 agents were waiting he saw how serious her injures were. Her face had deep cuts in them from the knife. Her nose was broken so badly that it stuck out on a weird angle, her eyes were black and swallow and her whole body was covered in bruises. James had never seen someone beaten up so badly.

"Call an ambulance and the cops since Denton is downstairs unable to move." James said to the two agents that were still pretending to mop.

It didn't take long for the ambulance and the police to get to the house but Serra was unconscious from the loss of blood before the ambulance got near the house the cops weren't far behind and arrested Denton before James and Serra left for the hospital. James didn't have time to change since he was supporting Serra so he had to get out of the overalls in the back of the ambulance.

Zara, John, Rick and Serra's boyfriend a boy in one of James' maths classes called Ronald were all waiting for him and gasped with shock when they saw how serious the injures were. Serra was in a critical condition, nobody could believe that anything could ever happen to someone especially a sweet 15 year old girl.

"Thank you so much." Serra's boyfriend stammered to James as he watched Serra get carted into the surgery room for an x-ray. "I promise I'll never muck around in your classes ever again."

Zara followed the doctors but the others stayed behind. John, Rick and Ronald both looked relived to see that she was alive.

James collapsed into one of the waiting room chairs ignoring the glances from John and the two boys.

James looked at his watch and noticed that it was only 5 O'clock. It felt like he had been up for hours but that might have been because he didn't sleep the night before.

"James your back as an outstanding Cherub, I don't know why you're not a mission controller." John praised him from his chair.

"Wait Mr Adams used to work at Cherub?" Ronald asked.

"Yeah him and his sister were outstanding agents both got navy shirts after their first mission." John explained.

Both Rick's and Ronald's mouths hung open with shock.

"His sister was amazing at missions she was one of the youngest black shirts." John went on.

James stood up suddenly he couldn't think about Lauren right now, not after what she said in that email. John, Rick and Ronald looked at him but he didn't care he had to get away before anger overcame him again. He didn't know why he was so angry at Lauren they always said things they didn't mean and had their fights but he knew that this time was different.

James wasn't watching where he was going and walked straight into Zara.

"She's going to be alright." Zara announced to everyone who sighed in relief. "She has two broken arms, three broken ribs, a broken leg, and mild appendicitis so she won't be able to do anything for a while. The doctors need to watch her in case she gets a disease. The cuts from the knife could have been infected quickly."

"I'm sorry it's my fault I should have stopped him quicker." James apologised, "He was stabbing her for not telling him about Cherub and I stayed in the shadows out of the way, I didn't try and stop him until it got serious, I could have prevented the stabs."

"It's not your fault that she got stabbed you were just there to see it. If you went to help Serra you would have most likely been stabbed too. You got there in time and had no evidence of where she was. You had to act on the spur of the moment so I'm sure there will be a reward for you at Cherub and I think the problems with your math classes are solved." Zara told him. "I think it's best if we all go home and get some rest. I'll stay here a bit longer just in case she wakes up, John if you'll be able to drop James off before you take Rick and Ronald back to campus."

"Um Zara I was wondering if I could stay here for the night?" Ronald asked.

"I think that should be fine. We've had a few agents in hospital for serious injuries and any family members, girlfriends and boyfriends refuse to leave the side so I'm sure you can stay." Zara told him softly.

An hour later James was getting something to eat trying to forget as much of the day as he could. The email from Lauren was still there, there was blood on his knuckles from when he broke Denton's nose and the only thing he could take comfort from was when he rang Kerry. No matter what he did he couldn't get the images of Serra's broken body out of his head. He was exhausted from the day's work and got straight into bed. Sleep came to him straight away and he hoped he wouldn't have an early start to the day.

Of course the sleep couldn't last. For the rest of the week James was waking up with nightmares. He kept seeing Serra's dead body in the chair and Denton with four knifes angled at James. Then it turned to Lauren and Kerry in the chair both dying and all James could do was watch. The dreams lessened once Kerry got back.

James was waiting for Kerry to land along with Zara and a few other agents waiting for their friends to step off the plane. Once Kerry hoped off the plane she ran to James and hugged him tightly.

"I missed you." James told her after he had kissed her.

"I missed you too. Why didn't you tell me how dangerous the mission was?" Kerry demanded.

"It was all last minute I didn't have time and I was trying hard to forget how dangerous it was before I went on it and afterwards I didn't see the point in telling you." James explained.

"So I had to hear to hear it from Meryl instead." Kerry pouted.

"I'm sorry but I just didn't want to think about it at all."

"How is she?" Kerry asked.

"She's doing okay, when I rescued her she was sent straight to intensive care because any longer and the chances of survival would have been slim." James explained. "She's back on campus now but Gabrielle won't let her out of her sight."

"That's understandable. Wait did you say Gabrielle as in Gabrielle O'Brien?" Kerry shrieked.

"Yep, Zara thought that it would be easier to replace doctor Kressler with an ex Cherub so she wouldn't have to give the next doctor security checks and other clearances." James told her with a grin.

"Yay so now I'll be able to have help with the wedding from both Lauren and Gabrielle now."

"Um not quite, before I went on the mission Lauren sent me an email telling me how she hoped I wouldn't come back from the mission." James told her sadly.

"We are talking about the same Lauren right?" Kerry confirmed.

"Yeah I only know one Lauren." James told her.

"That just doesn't sound like Lauren." Kerry told him.

"That's what I thought but she hasn't rung me or even emailed me again and I'm not going to ring her until I know what I've done to make her feel this way."

"I'm sure she'll get over it. Do you think we should go home now?" Kerry asked.

"I think home is a good idea." James replied and led Kerry to the car.

"The hostel was great but of course it would have been better if you were there with me. Most of the nights Bruce, Meryl and I played poker or Bruce and I would hang out with Andy when we didn't have kids to control. The amount of kids that got sent back to campus for bad behaviour has to be a record." Kerry told him once they were in bed.

"I'm sure that if I was there, there would be more going home and I would be joining them." James joked.

"Yep that sounds about right except you've matured a lot ever since you went to college." Kerry told him. "It's been two weeks and I think we are both long overdue."

"Well then I guess you have a lot to make up to me." James said taking off his clothes.

James and Kerry hid under the sheets making up for the two week separation. James broke them both apart when his stomach growled.

"Well it is only 8 O'clock and I didn't have much to eat." James said defensively.

"Go get something to eat and I think we should call this a night." Kerry told him.

James put his clothes back on and started down the stairs when Kerry yelled for some toast. James came back upstairs with the toast for Kerry and a slice of cake for himself.

"I think I have an idea about Lauren." Kerry stated once she finished eating.

James looked at her waiting for her to go on.

"I think that she might have broken up with Rat and maybe she feels like she's made the wrong decision with him and is taking her anger out on everyone else." Kerry explained.

"That could be a factor because I think the taking the anger out on someone else runs in the family." James told her and continued telling Kerry about how he felt with Denton how all the anger from Lauren combined with the anger from Denton made him beat the guy up.

"Well, at least you had anger for the guy; Lauren has no anger for you." Kerry told him.

"Yeah I guess. I don't want to be rude but I've barely had a good night's sleep and with you here I think I will be able to get rid of the nightmares I've been having." James told her.

Kerry took the hint and didn't say anything else except for goodnight. Surprisingly James got to sleep before her.

"James, James, James!" Kerry moaned shaking James awake at 3 O'clock in the morning. "James someone's at the door."

James sat up straight trying to think who would be knocking on his door at 3 O'clock in the morning but he was still half asleep and couldn't think straight. All he knew was that this person had interrupted a good night's sleep. He hadn't woken up once since he went to sleep.

James went downstairs to the front door and looked through the peep hole. A woman was at the door, he could see that much from the red nails but that was all he could see. James was dreading that some of Denton's men were coming to beat him up.

Since he could see that there was no one who was going to hurt him James opened the door to the crazy person awake at 3 O'clock in the morning.

"Look, I'm sorry but could you come back at a better time." James asked without looking at the person at the door.

Once he looked up he changed his mind on his doorstep there was a distressed Lauren.

**Author's Note  
>Sorry that it took so long to update but I've been busy and I had no idea what to write. I wanted to include the very end bit with Lauren and that was the first thing I had. Sorry for the long chapter but I needed some action included after the boring 2<strong>**nd**** chapter. I'm also sorry for anyone that wanted more detail with James' rescue mission but I am not good with making up missions so that is why James is a Maths teacher. Hope you like it.  
>I don't know how long it will be until I write the next chapter but I have exams and need to concentrate on those.<br>SpringBabe.**


	4. Lauren's Story

**Sorry I've been really busy and had no time to write. Thanks to all the people that reviewed and I appreciate the praise and feedback I've been given. Thanks to Emma and BlackShirtBen for reviewing on the last chapter. Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Chapter 4: Lauren's Story.

"Lauren." James gasped.

"Hey James." Lauren replied sheepishly stepping into the light.

James got a better look at her. She had a black eye and scratches on her shoulder that looked like someone's nails had scratched her. He didn't know if he was imagining it after the state he saw Serra in or if she was injured.

"I don't know what you're doing here after you sent me that email last week." James told her sorely. Holding the door wide open but standing in the way so she couldn't walk in.

"What email?" Lauren asked confused.

"The email you sent me before I went on my mission." James told her.

"When did you go on a mission I thought you were a maths teacher and I didn't get or send you an email? I've been trying to call you after I saw you in London but I didn't have your new number." Lauren told him.

"I gave you my number when I went to your place." James said defensively not believing Lauren but wanting to.

"Well I asked Bethany to ring you for me but she told me that I didn't have your number." Lauren told him.

"Of course, I should have known." James muttered under his breath hoping Lauren couldn't hear him.

"James who's at the door?" Kerry asked from upstairs.

James looked at Lauren. "Fine come in but you better tell me why your here."

Lauren slowly walked into the living room and sat down on the couch waiting for James to follow her after shutting the door.

"Lauren's here." James shouted up to Kerry.

Kerry came downstairs a few minutes later wearing more than she went to bed in with a silk dressing gown over the top.

"Lauren as much as I love you could you come by at a better time." Kerry said before she stepped into the living room and saw her future sister in law. "Ooh my God! What happened too your face." Kerry shrieked.

"I was just about to tell James." A look from James told her that she better begin or she was going to be on the street. "Well you know how Bethany hates you James well she wasn't happy after she found out that I ran into you. Then she found out that Rat was working on Cherub campus and knew that he would have seen you. Well she took a lot of drastic measures like making sure that I never left her sight. Rat had enough and left for work one day and didn't come back." Lauren sobbed. "Before he left he asked me if I wanted to go with him but I told him that I was going to help Bethany get through her problems but he told me that he wasn't staying and would leave without me. He threw an engagement ring on the floor before he walked out."

"Rat was going to propose to you." Kerry gasped.

"Yeah the box was in his pocket. It was a beautiful ring too. I was so angry and upset with myself. I was tempted to run after him and leave Bethany but she had already pulled me to the nearest bar and got me drunk. I didn't argue when she kept handing me drinks so basically I got myself drunk. She wouldn't let me out by myself, I wanted to see Rat, I wanted to see you but she kept me far away from London." Lauren continued sobbing.

"How did you leave then?"

"Well I left tonight, she got dumped by some guy she met a week ago and then Jake came around for some money, she pushed Jake down the stairs telling him she didn't have money and then turned on me saying that I should lend her more money because she was always low. I argued with her and told her that I gave her heaps, I payed off her rent, I pay for groceries and shared the bills with Rat she did nothing she didn't pull her weight so then she got angry with me. Eventually the fight got physical. She grabbed my shoulder and I tried to shake her off but she dug her nails into my skin. I screamed at her to let go so when I tried to pull her arm off me she punched me in the face, hard as well that I feel to ground. She tried to suffocate me as well but I pulled her off me grabbed my handbag and ran out the door." Lauren finished.

"Right I'm going to find Bethany and give her what she deserves." James growled.

"No you can't." Lauren and Kerry both said grabbing an arm each.

"Why the bloody hell not." James shouted at both of them.

"Because she's violent we just have to leave her until she calms down and forgets about what happened." Lauren explained.

"Well what are you suppose to do, all you have is whatever is in your handbag and you can't stay here for the rest of your life. I'm not sure how happy I am to see you since you've been ignoring my calls." James told her trying to keep his voice calm.

"I told you I never got your calls I thought at first you were ignoring me and whenever I tried to call you, you never answered." Lauren replied.

"Well it's too late to be discussing this so you can stay the night here and then we'll talk tomorrow." Kerry suggested.

Both Lauren and James agreed with her but James was fired up at Lauren that he couldn't sleep and stayed awake the whole night wondering if Lauren was telling the truth. He crept past the guest bedroom and then down the stairs outside.

He needed to see Rat or Jake and the best place he could think of was at Andy's since Rat wouldn't have a place yet. Andy lived a few places up the road when he wasn't on campus so hoping that one of them was there he walked to Andy's house.

James didn't expect anyone to open the door since it was almost 4 O'clock in the morning but Rat unexpectedly opened the door.

Rat didn't look much healthier than Lauren, he wasn't beaten up but he did have dark rings under his eyes that told James he hadn't been sleeping.

"Look I'm sorry to wake you up but I really need to talk to you about Lauren." James said straight away.

"Sorry but I can't tell you anything about her since I haven't been able to see her after Bethany placed her on lockdown." Rat replied rubbing his eyes.

"She isn't at Bethany's anymore she arrived at my place beaten up about an hour ago." James told him still standing in the doorway.

"Oh crap is she all right?" Rat asked, beckoning James into Andy's house.

"She could be better but I just want to make sure that she's telling the truth, I don't know what to think since this is the first time I've spoken to her since I ran into her a few weeks ago." James told him sitting on the couch.

"It's true Bethany has been really jealous and crazy ever since you came back, I don't know what it is but I think she's been taking drugs." Rat suggested.

"Okay, I should probably go, I'm sorry I came over at this time but I just had to make sure. We should catch up for a drink this weekend." James told him.

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea and James I'm sorry about walking out on Lauren but I couldn't handle Bethany anymore and Lauren didn't want to leave." Rat told him.

"It's fine, you should probably visit tomorrow though and see her." James suggested then left Andy's and walked back home.

**Sorry it isn't as long as the other chapters and sorry it's taken so long but since there was the big drama with Seera and Lauren turning up I thought that maybe it was time for a non-dramatic chapter. I wonder what will happen to Lauren and Rat now. (I actually do need to figure that out, I'm not just saying it for suspense.) Read and Review.  
>SpringBabe. <strong>

**I also don't know how long before the next update but look out for the next chap.**


	5. Basking in the Glory

Chapter 5: Basking in the Glory

Kerry was the first one up and had started making breakfast when I woke up. I could smell the bacon frying from upstairs and knew it wasn't going to be long before Lauren woke up. Except Lauren didn't eat meat and I hoped we had a few hashbrowns for her sake.

"Mmm smells good." I told Kerry giving her a peck on the cheek and grabbing myself a cup of coffee.

I heard Lauren stir from the couch and then the doorbell ring. I went to answer the door surprised to see Andy and Rat waiting patiently.

"Is that bacon I smell?" Rat asked.

"Yeah, would you like some?" I asked.

"If I can, neither Andy nor I can cook and it would be nice to have a cooked breakfast instead of soggy cereal every day." Rat chirped. "Is Lauren up?"

I let them in and told Kerry too put more bacon on since we had company. Lauren was sitting with Kerry sipping coffee, the coffee I made for myself and she didn't notice who was here.

"Hey Lauren I heard what happened are you okay?" Andy asked while Rat stood speechless.

I don't think Rat knew how beaten up she was. "Lauren I'm so sorry I would have stayed if I knew what was going to happen. All I thought was that Bethany would have you under lock down. I didn't know how physical things would get." Rat explained.

"No it's alright I should have left with you, I wanted to I really did but I thought Bethany was still my friend. I mean it's a complicated relationship now." Lauren replied and gave Rat a hug.

Andy had gotten himself a plate of bacon, luckily there was enough for everyone. Lauren helped herself to toast while we all ate our cooked meal and then we all walked to work at the same time since Lauren was going to see Zara and Rat was still fixing up the gym.

I hadn't been back to work yet mainly because I had been given time off to deal with what happened on the mission, Zara thought that I stabbed Denton out of self defence but it was really out of anger and I needed a few days to deal with it. My whole mission was suppose to be quiet, Zara hadn't told the agents what happened on Serra's mission and who saved her but I was sure that Rick and Ronald would have spread the story around the school.

Bruce had told me that some of the older kids mainly the ones that weren't allowed to go to the Hostel had come into his class saying how glad they were that had finally gotten rid of me since it was a week ago that I was on the campus. They were going to get a shock when they walked into the room and found me teaching.

Kerry was taking Lauren to see Zara while I went to the classroom early to set up a quiz. They weren't going to be getting off lightly.

"Your still here I thought you left." One of the boys, Max said when he entered the classroom.

"No I would never leave Cherub, I grew up here so why would I leave." I replied laying out the sheets of paper.

"But you haven't been here for a week and there was that one day last week where we didn't even have a teacher because you didn't tell anyone you were leaving and Zara was to stressed out about Serra missing." One of Max's friends said.

"I think that was the day we were told that Serra was rescued." One of the girls added.

A few of the older students gasped, finally realising why I was missing.

"No way, a Maths teacher saved my life!" Serra gasped.

Everyone turned around to see Serra wheeling herself into the classroom (she wasn't allowed to walk yet) and then back at me.

"When Ronald told me that James Adam's saved my life I didn't think it would be my maths teacher." Serra added.

"No way, Ronald was just pulling your leg." Max told her.

"It's true." Rick said. He was the last to enter the classroom. "Apparently he and his sister were one of the few best agents in their time."

Everyone looked at Rick than back at me. "Wow why didn't you tell us?"

"Okay everyone, enough chatter please take your seats and I'll start the lesson." I told them.

"Can't you tell us about your missions?" Max asked.

"Let me get this right, first you wanted me out of here and now you want to listen to me?" I asked even though I knew I had just been made one of the most popular teachers.

"That's right, so will you please tell us Mr Adam's?" Serra asked.

"Maybe after the quiz that I have set out for you." I told them all.

"What, we weren't told there was going to be a quiz!" The whole class shouted.

"It's not going to affect your grades; I just wanted to know what you all knew and if you had done any homework." I told them all. "So take a seat and the sooner it's done the sooner I can tell you about a mission."

They all took a seat and started on the quiz.

"No talking either it's your own work." I told them all.

Once the last person had handed up their quiz, I was bombarded with questions.

"One at a time and hands up." I paused then chose Serra mainly because she had a right to know about when I rescued her.

"Have you been in any near death situations?" Serra asked.

I thought about it then answered her question. "Yes on a few missions. My first mission I was inspecting an underground shed, and stuck my arm in some chemicals to see what they were. I was rushed to hospital told that I had a low chance of survival. In the end it was Lauren my sister who came into the room and told me what I stuck my arm in was a weak version of the real thing. Then there was my mission in Russia where I woke up to a bunch of men raiding the house with guns I was in because two MI5 agents blew the mission I was on and I was then left to fend for myself." I had the whole class staring in awe. "Then I was beaten up by a bunch of kids once a reward was announced. Luckily the guy who came to get me was an American CIA agent and took me to a safe house, Ewart then came to Russia and rescued me, while I was being wheeled onto a plane we were getting shot at and just made it out."

"Wow, did that really happen?" Max asked.

"Ask Zara about it, she knows about all my missions."

"What about when you rescued Serra, she came back in a bad condition what happened there?" One of Max's friends, David I think asked.

"Well I was only told the night before and came in early where I was briefed by John. I was then dressed up as a cleaner with two other MI5 agents and went to Denton's house, while Jake McKwen was taken to some other guy's house. I was in his study when we saw the floor plans for his house and I followed Denton down under the boxing ring to the basement where Serra was chained to a chair."

Every one gasped and Serra nodded confirming it was true.

"You should all know that Serra was willing to die instead of telling Denton who she worked for." I told them all proud of Serra.

"So if you told him what happened then he may not have harmed you." Rick asked.

"I think he still would have so it was better not to tell." Serra told him.

I glanced at my watch, "well I would love to stay and chat but I have my next class to prepare. Homework is to work on equations from the next chapter. Believe me it this stuff will come in handy when on a mission."

The whole class groaned as they packed their belongings up and walked out the door.

Serra stopped by my desk before she left. "Thank you for saving my life."

"It was nothing; you know no one wants to see an amazing agent go missing. It was just unfortunate that you had to go missing." I told her.

"Yeah well I never knew that anyone would be able to understand what I was going through but you do, how long did it take you to get over it all?" Serra asked.

"Well because the two MI5 agents were killed I was constantly questioned about my involvement in their deaths, I did something stupid as well that almost cost my CHERUB carer but in the end gave me a black shirt." I paused then looked at her. "Your bravery would have given you a black shirt without a doubt if you didn't already have one."

"Thanks but it was my fault I was a prisoner, I got caught." Serra admitted.

"Look that's what everyone thinks when a mission goes badly, your circumstance was different, you weren't dealing with the average criminal." I told her.

"You sure know how to make someone feel better, I have no idea why they others wanted to get rid of you." Serra chuckled and winced with pain.

"You remind me of Gabrielle the new doctor she ended up injured like you, maybe you could talk to her as well we you see her next." James said as Serra wheeled herself out of the room.

"So how was your first class today?" Kerry asked popping into my classroom.

"It went well, it's going to take a few more weeks for them to do work but at least now they respect me. It was lucky that Serra and Rick were in my first class to confirm all suspicions."

"That's good; I've heard a few rumours going around that the new maths teacher is awesome." Kerry grinned at me.

"I'm sure the rumours aren't that big it has only been 10 minutes since I've dismissed my first class, my little mission couldn't have been told that quickly." I doubted.

"Just you wait until you have Joshua's class then you'll believe me. That boy is going to become pretty popular once you've had them." Kerry told him then left after giving him a kiss.

James started placing the sheets of paper onto the desks for his next class which had Tiffany Asker and Holly Welsh. Two people that respected him before his mission.

**A/N**

**I'm so sorry that it's been so long but here is the chapter, I want to apologise in advance for the other late updates that will be happening because I have other stuff to do. At the moment I'm dragging the story on a little bit before something else happens, I apologise to anyone that wants faster updates but I'm having better success at thinking up a story line for one of my other stories. I am still going to continue with this story but it will just be slower updates. Hope you enjoy  
>SpringBabe<strong>


End file.
